Freediving is an amazing activity that requires a lot of training and preparation. It’s a challenging and rewarding sport that allows you to explore the underwater world in a unique way. If you’re a freediving enthusiast like me, you probably love to show off your passion for this sport in any way possible. One great way to do this is by wearing t-shirts that celebrate the sport and your love for it. Let’s check out some of the best t-shirts for freediving enthusiasts and what makes them so special.
“Mermaid Life” Tank Top
First on my list is this cute “Mermaid Life” tank top. Perfect for freediving enthusiasts, it reminds us of one of the most important aspects of the sport: having fun. The design features an image of a sparkly mermaid silhouetted against Red Orange Yellow Turquoise text.
Solid color tank tops are made from 100% cotton – the most environmentally friendly option. In addition, the tops are available in a variety sizes.
This tank top is a great conversation starter- what a better way to bring more people to the freediving family!
“Mask and Snorkel heartbeat” T-Shirt
The second t-shirt on my list is the “Mask and Snorkel heartbeat” t-shirt. This t-shirt is perfect for anyone who loves freediving, scuba diving and snorkelling, and who wishes they could be doing it all the time. The design features a mask and snorkel on a sunny beach, with a heartbeat line intersecting the image.
This t-shirt is a great way to show off your love for being underwater and to let people know what you’d rather be doing.
“Haenyeo Korean Freediver” Tank Top
The third t-shirt on my list is the “Haenyeo Korean Freediver” tank top. This top is perfect for anyone who feels that their love for freediving is an essential part of who they are, and who would like to celebrate the origins and traditions of this incredible sport. The design features the word “freedive” in bold letters, along with an image of a traditional Korean freediver, a beautiful haenyeo.
This t-shirt is perfect for the upcoming 30th AIDA Pool World Championship being held in Jeju in June 2023. After all, Jeju is known not only as the “Hawaii of South Korea”, but it is also the spiritual home of the Haenyo. Be sure to visit the Haenyeo Museum on the island if you are lucky enough to visit!
“Inner Space” T-Shirt
The fourth t-shirt on my list is the “Inner Space” t-shirt. The design features an image of a freediver set in a star-filled, colorful space cloud.
Freediving is underwater meditation – a way to face and overcome your deepest fears.
When choosing a freediving t-shirt, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, make sure the t-shirt is made from high-quality material like cotton that is sustainable and kind to the environment- stay away from polyester that releases microfibers with every wash! Finally, support small businesses and individuals by purchasing from independent designers and sellers.
By purchasing and wearing a t-shirt designed for freediving, you showcase your passion for the sport, connect with other enthusiasts, and remember your diving adventures. With so many designs to choose from, a freediving t-shirt is a must-have!
I spent March in the Philippines improving my freediving and I’m happy to say that despite some sinus issues early on and a cold in somewhere in the middle, I am now certified as SSI Level 2 Instructor.
A few tips on preparing for your course:
– choose a center that makes time for your course, after all, you’re paying a lot of money to learn how to be a better freediver and teacher.
– you can PRE-pare for your course: start a training plan a month before your course that includes CO2 tables, diaphragm/ thoracic stretching and swim training (if you don’t have access to a pool-based freediving club). The “Apnea Tables” app is very useful, as is Natalia Molchanova’s blog about pool training and deconcentration. If your mouthfill or Frenzel are a bit sketchy, read up about the Frenzel-Fattah technique and practice some dry exercises. Try and get your hands on Federico Mana’s Equalization for Freediving (ISBN 9788887376913 – not available as an e-book on amazon unfortunately). Mana also has a YouTube channel with some dry exercises- amazing party tricks to amuse your friends with… If you’re practicing static, watch this video– not for the breathhold as such but for the great coaching- the guy says some good things about contractions that are worth remembering in your own sessions.
– acquire spares and learn how to change your D4i battery before you go away. Always carry a spare and the correct tools to open the computer. It’s pretty easy to do- and it will save you around 200USD- just make sure you test the seal in fresh water before you dive with it and look for bubbles (like you would with a camera housing).
Once you start your course it’s worth remembering that:
– freefall technique is as important as mouthfill & duckdiving. Identify your problem areas early and work on them separately- ask your instructor to dive down with you and critique your style if they’re not already doing this.
– everyone progresses at a different pace. If you compare yourself to others you may end up doing yourself a disservice. If you have an off day, forgive yourself and learn from the experience. Every session, even a shit one, has value. Putting excessive pressure on yourself will only have a negative effect on your diving.
– be kind to yourself: take a day off every 5 days and do something totally removed from freediving. A rest day can make a huge difference in performance. Make sure that you keep your thoughts positive and try and keep the vibe light around the buoy. I had some days where I had great sessions despite getting only a few hours’ sleep. Why? Because I was very happy!
– put your computer away some times and just feel. Sometimes the alarms and obsession with depth really just get in the way of the pure enjoyment of being one with the ocean.
– get your head right. Freediving is as much mental as it is physical. One of the exercises people fear is the 5x20m. It’s good to start by doing a 5x15m and building on that. It’s OK to fail the first few times since your body gets stronger every time you practice. For me, the first 3 dives are easy and 4 is the hardest mentally with 5 being easier cos you know it’s the last one. Tips for 5×20: fin slowly, there’s no rush- you don’t have to fin from 10m upwards anyway so just chill. Take a few deep recovery breaths, a long exhale and start your yogic breathing to slow your heart rate down. From 20s onwards you can start your last breaths- I only needed two to get to 20m and back. Remember, you may get contractions on the way down on #4 and 5 but it’s not because you’re low on O2, just high in CO2. You can do it, it just doesn’t feel that great 😉 When I got around to doing the full 5x20m I no longer felt any lactic in my legs so I’m glad I progessed the skill.
– train without the freediving school. Go to Moalboal, find the people who own their own buoys and ropes and go dive with them. For free. For fun. For the beauty of comraderie and your shared love of our oceans.
I love winter in Korea! I finally got round to using my season pass for High 1 last week. I’ve blogged about snowboarding in Korea before but I’d like to re-iterate what an amazing deal you get with a season pass.
If you’re new to the game, start with these 2 steps: join Snowboard and Ski South Korea and Korea-snow.com. This way, you will be notified when season passes become available on the internet – usually around September, after Chuseok. There are two rounds of season pass registrations, one in September and again in November. There is a slight price hike if you go with November.
What’s so great about a season pass? The price. I paid 238,000 won for a season pass that covers me from December to March- lift pass AND return bus shuttle from Pohang to High 1 Resort included. I don’t think you can get this deal at this price anywhere else in the world. I have my own gear now but if you have to rent a board and boots it works out to 30,000 won per day (from 08:30 to 16:00). NOTE: the season pass IS more expensive for guys… around 352,000 won I believe. Tour operators such as Enjoy Korea and Waegook Travel usually charge the price of a season pass for a weekend’s worth of snowy fun.
I highly recommend NOT going over the weekend. If you have a season pass, go during the week so that you can enjoy the non-existent queues, wide open spaces and uncrowded slopes. Weekends are just crazy busy- you’re looking at 20-30 minute queues to get on the ski lift. No thanks.
This past weekend High 1 held a Snow Festival, which included a Snow Tubing Festival. Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) offered bloggers the opportunity to attend the Festival and stay at High 1 CC Hotel. I’ve only ever visited High 1 during winter but during the summer months it’s actually known for being a Country Club! Playing golf country club style is a pretty exclusive activity since space comes at such a high premium in this mountainous country. Koreans love golf and screen golf and netted driving ranges are incredibly popular.
High 1 CC Hotel’s facilities include a sauna, conference rooms, restaurants and a golf equipment shop. There is also a casino nearby, the only one that is actually accessible to Koreans and foreigners (it’s illegal for Koreans to gamble).
My room was spacious, comfortable and tastefully decorated and offered an exquisite view of the mountains. We were treated to a delicious buffet and a post-dinner show by Sachoom! Sachoom’s dance performance is funny, energetic and covers a range of styles from B-Boy to K-pop to ballet.
I didn’t have time to try out the sauna, but once I got back down to Valley Ski House and saw the carnage of Saturday crowds, I decided to try out the jimjjilbang Sauna instead. Located between the Valley Ski House and Valley Condominium, a soak, scrub and steam will cost you 7,000 won. If you choose to have the whole jimjjilbang experience (sleeping there) it will cost 10,000 won.
You can also swim at Mountain Plaza, use the outdoor sauna (you need to wear a swimsuit), play pool, sing at Rush norebang or play arcade games!
Bottom line, you don’t have to be bored at High 1! I’m really going to miss winters in Korea. Shout out to KTO for hooking us up with the good stuff!
Just over a year ago, I wrote my “101” list: the 101 things I’d like to do in the next 3 years. So far, I’ve been able to scratch 33 tasks from my list and this weekend I’ll complete #34. This is a biggy for me: completing the 4 Rivers Trail.
I completed the Geumgang on the first day of November, setting myself a new PB: 189km in just over 12 hours.
I started in Gunsan, ended in Daejeon and I found the signage to be a bit crap in places so I’d suggest doing it the other way around (like the book advises). It was a one-day affair for me: mostly flat and easy but long.
I bussed into Gunsan from Pohang late on a Friday night, slept very soundly in a motel behind the station (the bed was doubly inviting thanks to the electric blanket). I paid 50,000 won for the room, but I knew that the next day would be a long one so I allowed myself this little extravagance. After all, it had a bath tub and I scored 2 new toothbrushes for my bike cleaning kit! I was going to wake up at 6AM but it was so dark and snugly that I slept in until 8.
Riding along an estuary during autumn is pretty spectacular, with all the ducks practicing their winter flight formations. I saw hundreds of birds that morning. I met a Korean rider along the way who was finishing his last river. After we reached his final stamp booth, we posed for some photos and commemorated the occasion with a quick CU coffee and some Oreos.
He asked me if I wasn’t afraid of cycling alone. Lots of people have asked me this and yeah, if I were in another country, I wouldn’t cycle solo. I feel so safe in Korea. I feel extremely comfortable riding as a solo female in the dark, in the middle of nowhere and being lost. I have always found the Koreans I’ve met on my travels to be trustworthy, honest and helpful, despite my basic Hangul-skillz.
Soon after leaving the cyclist behind (at Iksanseongdangpogu Certification Center) I got horribly lost. I was following mile markers along the river when the path just stopped. I guess I crossed the river too early… I made a low-sugar decision to go by road until I found the next stamp booth… this lead to a stressful ride on a narrow road full of traffic and roadworks. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching the day fall away around you as you try to find your bearings. I was pretty relieved when I finally made it to Gongju-si. If I had more time I would have stopped for a look round, since there’s loads of cool history here.
As light gave way to dark I put my head down and the rest of my ride was pretty uneventful if misty. I had to cycle past a slew of restaurants on the way to Daecheong Dam: torture to a cold, tired, hungry cyclist and at the same time, the promise of rest and warm, soothing Korean food makes you pedal just that little bit faster. I swear there’s nothing better than any jigae, rice and beer after a long ride.
Tomorrow’s ride will be on a tight budget: it’s the weekend before pay day. I’m pretty psyched to know that I am so close to achieving my goal. Cycling Korea has been one of the best things I’ve ever done.
What’s next? SNOWBOARDING SEASON!!!
P.S: My MP3 speaker is great- it lasted the whole way!
Leaving Gunsan
I’m so glad I got to see someone finish all his rivers! He only has Jeju left. FIGHTING!!
Baekjebo Bridge
Gonju-bo Bridge
This photo pretty much captures how shattered I felt at the end!
On Hangeul Day, a public holiday in Korea, I finally made time to cycle from Pohang to Gyeongju. The bus journey between the 2 cities takes 30-40 minutes and the straightest line (on highway 7) makes it just over 30km. But I’m not looking for straight lines. I’m looking for curves that will swoop around beautiful stretches of farm land, small villages, rivers and streams.
The first time I did the ride I had the good fortune to be stopped by a farmer who was having a barbeque with his family and friends. I met his family, horses, dogs and cows and sampled some really tender beef! It was a random but great encounter, just another example of the extreme generosity and kindness you will come across in this country.
The route back was slightly less auspicious as I left Gyeongju a bit late and got horribly lost on the small country roads. It took me 4 hours to get home, double the time it should have taken! It was a beautiful night ride though, the night after the lunar eclipse: huge moon, clear skies… you could even see some stars. The silence of the sleepy countryside was intermittently interrupted by the sound of a stream or river nearby. It would have been true bliss had I not been so lost.
I was determined to try the route again since it’s a nice easy ride that’s easy on the eye. I made a pig’s ear of the route on the way there so I’m only going to post my return route (Gyeongju-Pohang).
Most of the route will be on quiet concrete country roads/ nice bike paths, maybe 55%, about 5% on road, 15% gravel and 15% side walk/ shitty bike paths. I did the ride on my road bike, which handled the gravel sections fine but beware of uneven surfaces just before leaving Pohang and when you’re cycling in Gyeongju (next to the main road – there are some truly awful bits that can give you a snakebite if you’re not on the look-out). Obviously it’s common sense to take a spare tube, patching kit and a pump with you.
Some cool restaurants near the Express Bus Terminal in Gyeongju include:
– Hawa Dhaba 하와다바 (Indian food) – google 하와다바 HawaDhaba 경상북도 경주시황오동 108-2
– Kong Story 꽁스토리 (Falafels)- opposite the Express Bus Terminal. OMG so good.
– NeCoZzang 네코짱 (Japanese Ramen)- also very near the Express Bus Terminal.
My Pohang start/ end point is Posco bridge, since it’s a well-known landmark. My Gyeongju start/ end point is very near the Express Bus Terminal. Where you can see loops it signifies going off-route so just go straight (none of the detours are huge though, should they occur). If you are starting from Pohang, you will need to cross the road when you see the huge retail park between Pohang and Gyeongju, otherwise you’ll be cycling against highway traffic coming around a corner. Do-able but not safe at all.
Mountains beyond mountains
Rice harvesting just outside Gyeongju
Meeting the horses
Farm BBQ
Nice furry farm friend
Japanese ramen featuring melt-in-the-mouth pork: Necozzang Gyeongju
I’m a pretty big fan of indie cinema and foreign film. In terms of English movies, only the big Hollywood blockbusters make it out this way. One of the great ironies of living in Korea is that I can’t even watch local films because they don’t come with English subtitles. It’s easier for me to watch Korean film in London than it is in the very country the films are made. Crazy. You CAN watch these movies with subs in DVD bangs a few weeks after they’ve been released, but it’s not really the same, is it?
I was so glad to get tickets to this year’s Busan Film Festival– finally time to get my foreign film fix on! Ticket sales open 3-4 weeks before the festival. It’s worth having a couple of mates on computers at the same time as servers tend to crash and English web versions mysteriously turn into Korean ones! Have a native speaker on hand to help you out should the process become tricky, as the tickets sell out in no time. Please remember to add your email address and/or mobile phone number to each booking screen so that you can receive your booking confirmation! (I know this sounds obvious, but my mate rushed past this step and it took the lovely patient folk at Megabox 20 minutes to find his booking…not cool.)
We rushed to Busan after school on Friday to see The President by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, an intense and complex look inside a coup, dealing with themes of revenge, forgiveness, war crimes, innocence and innocence lost. I highly recommend this film. It’s worth noting that you will not be allowed to take food or drinks into the cinema so don’t bother buying popcorn.
Le Meraviglie (The Wonders) by Alice Rohrwacher is a coming of age film, and also deals with the decline of the rural way of life and the romantic idea of Etruscan civilization. This was my favourite- beautifully shot in 3 languages: German, French and Italian.
We saw The Homesman but I didn’t rate it at all. Out of the 4 films we saw this was my least favourite.
The final film we saw was My Man by Kumakiri Kazuyoshi, based on Sakuraba Kazuki’s controversial novel. It deals with loss and the fine line between relationships and incest. It is quite an intense, disturbing film but intriguing nonetheless.
It would have been great to have the whole week off and just geek out on films 24-7. Get yourself to Busan next year for an unmissable feast of international film.
Seoul Independent Film Festival will run from November 28th to December 6th. May I also add that Tenacious D will be in Seoul December 5th-6th which means it’s totally going to be a wicked weekend!
My friend Pieter and I are trying to complete all the routes in our KTO cross country passport before winter kicks in and before we leave Korea next year. We have a few small river routes to complete but we just added Jeju to our list of DONE. Once we’ve completed all our rides we’ll qualify for the “Grand Slam” certificate and medal. Put that way it sounds a bit lame. We’re not doing it for the medals 😉 Using the cycle passport is hands down the best, most organized way to see Korea during your time here. It has only enriched the Korean experience for me and I feel I have gained a deeper understanding and love for the country as a result.
Getting to Jeju
You can fly or take a ferry. If you fly you should box up your bike (get one from your local bike shop). Since we were planning this ride for Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) flights and ferry spaces were thin on the ground and expensive. Enter “Enjoy Korea” and their super affordable Chuseok 4 day weekender. Stacey Kim is American- Korean and she runs Enjoy Korea with the perfect blend of professionalism and partying. She is the missing link between Western and Korean culture and she makes tour planning seem effortless. I’ve used all 4 of the main Tour Groups for foreigners in Korea (Adventure Korea, Waegook Travel, WiNK and Enjoy Korea) and Stacey wins hands down.
You can take a ferry from Busan or Mokpo but the Busan ferry takes 12 hours (overnight) whereas Mokpo can take from 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours (depending on the company you use).Our journey started from Mokpo and took around 4 hours. Load your bike into the cargo hold before joining the queue to board the ferry. If you’re not piggy-backing onto a pre-existing package tour it’s worth thinking about your way back since buses and trains tend to be booked out on public holidays like Chuseok.
The Cycle route
Once you’re on the island the cycling route is pretty straightforward. The terrain is mostly flat and most of the roads have a separate lane for cyclists. It was only in Jeju City lacked a decent cycle lane/ sidewalk option for road bikes. I definitely felt uncomfortable and I’d say I’m a fairly experienced cyclist. We cycled anti-clockwise but usually most people go clockwise due to the winds (we didn’t know this). We were cycling into headwind most of the time but luckily it wasn’t strong.
The route is 234km long and has 9 stops for stamps. Heads up: there are no red stamp booths like the rest of the 4 Rivers Trail. This is still a work in progress for the KTO at the time of writing so you have to take photos in front of the stops as proof instead. You can easily circumnavigate Jeju in 2 days and see some extra sights along the way. We started both days at 07:30 and finished at 18:30 with a few stops and 1 hour lunch breaks.
We added two stops to our route: Jusangjeollidae (lava column-shaped cliffs) and the Haenyeo Museum (traditional Korean female freedivers). If you have time you can also add Cheonjiyeon and Jeongbang waterfalls to your list. Jusangjeollidae and the waterfalls are all in the Seogwipo area. The Haenyeo Museum is located in Gujwa, between Seongsan (the lava crater) and Gimnyeong.
The best
Gimnyeon. Make time to stop and swim here. I’ve seen many beaches in my life but this ranks as one of my top 3 with its white sands and azure waters.
Jusangjeollidae: not on the map but it should be.
Seongsan: Try to start day 2 here because the sunrise is definitely worth it.
The worst
Sarabong, Yong Du Am and Turtle Lighthouse
– Sarabong is great for sunset apparently but it’s not good for much else. It’s awkward to find and I didn’t enjoy riding there.If you want a beach sunset, go to Hyeopjae beach instead.
– Yong Du Am. Korean for Tourist Trap. Cue 100 buses and 10000 tourists vying to take photos of a rock. Local government needs to make the cycle route to this destination safer.
– Turtle Lighthouse. Ahhh, Turtle Lighthouse the bain of my life. The mysterious landmark that not even Tourist Information in Seogwipo could tell us the location of. So mysterious that not even the people in the surrounding area knew its name. Not located by googling No sign boards. So you’re thinking “How hard can it be? It’s a lighthouse for fuck’s sake!!” but actually there are many faux lighthouses and harbours along this part of the coast. From Jeju City, with the sea on your right, keep to the coastal road, ride past a UFO shaped cafe and a harbour with entrance lights shaped like llamas/ dragons/ horse (one red and 1 white llama shaped building). Apparently they are called the Iho Hang Breakwaters. Anyway, it’s soon after that – keep your eyes out because you won’t be right next to the coast, but you can see it from the main road so just turn off and go through some tiny village roads until you hit the small harbour. The dark turtle is sandwiched between the base of the white building and tower. It would have been cute if it hadn’t been such a pain in the ass to find. After 2 hours of internet searching, I found that “Cheon nyeon hak” was filmed here and on this version of the Jeju map (which is not the same as the one in most Jeju Tourist Info centres) it shows the location as “Turtle Lighthouse (filming spot Cheonnyeon Hak)”- B2.
Roadworks
At the time of writing there was some major roadworks between Jocheon and the Jeju Folklore Museum. We rode a closed, half-built, empty, beautiful 4 lane highway as far as we could but then had to go back onto the 1132 which was also down to 1 lane being shared between cyclists and cars. Be very careful in this section, especially the part because it’s very messy. There is a very cool temple in this area called the Buddha Sharira Stupa for World Peace and Unification (평화통일불사리탑) and you can see the 1132 and the new road under construction (and where it stops).
Notes
– If you have time, try to cycle on the coastal “shore” road instead of the 1132. The 1132 is very efficient but mostly pretty dull and ugly.
– All tourist attractions have a minimal entry fee so take cash with you.
– Make sure you don’t over-pack and definitely take time sink your teeth into some juicy Jeju tangerines along the way.
– Signage for the Haenyeo Museum is pretty sparse so when you see the sign get ready to turn!
– There are plenty accommodation options. We paid 50,000 won to stay at a minbak opposite the beach with a great view of Seongsan.
– Great cheesy pizza and calzone to be found in Sinyang-ri.
– You have to eat black pig while you’re in Jeju. Unless you’re a vegetarian, in which case you must visit The Loving Hut in Jeju City or Jungmun area.
Other things to do in Jeju other than cycle
– Scuba dive: you can dive the lava tubes around Seonsan. Big Blue is one of the dive shops operated by English speakers, based in Seogwipo.
– SUP, windsurf and kiteboard. Zooty Club near Seongsan.
– Drink and play like a kid going down slides, climbing up poles, drinking buckets containing generous shots. A night you’ll remember because of the craziness at Monkey Beach in Seogwipo.
– Loveland: strange if you’ve never been to a sex museum, mediocre if you’ve been to the one in Gyeongju.
– Jeju Museum of Art: located next to Loveland, 1000 won entry, highly recommended. I saw a great exhibition of works by Park Woo-sung, Victor Cho and Wee Young-il.
Buddha Sharira Stupa for World Peace and Unification
I recently came back from spending two weeks with Freedive HQ on Mactan,Cebu, the Philippines.
Freedive HQ is owned by Mike Wells, who basically shaped the SSI freediving programme along with Lotta Erikson, Linda Paganelli (from Freedive Dahab/ Freedive International) and a few other big names in the industry. There are currently 2 female instructors who are the deepest un-official record holders for their respective countries: China and Korea. Miya hails from Korea and is currently training to reach 58m+. Sura Dai, from China, has dived to 54m and no doubt she’ll be breaking that soon enough… when she takes a break from teaching all of us newbies!
I started off with some in-water training- call it a refresher if you like. I was worried that I’d forgotten loads during my 4 year hiatus. I did forget some things: I had to re-learn Frenzel and my freefall was a bit rubbish to begin with.On my first day I found myself thinking “This is crazy. What are you doing?” as I did my free immersion to 10m. Luckily it didn’t take long for my inner dolphin to wake up! FIM is so zen- I love hanging at the 15m bottom plate looking at the jellyfish pulsating by.
It was so good to be back in the water and I got back to 29m after 1 week. Now the hard work started.
Learning mouth fill, FRC and Frenzel is challenging. But I like challenges so it’s OK. The hardest thing with mouthfill/ Frenzel is to master glottis control and NOT swallow your air. We got loads on on-land exercises to do but underwater it’s just a case of trial and error until your body and mind get to the same understanding.
Our instructor, Sura Dai, is Chinese but her English is perfect. She is such an awesome instructor: funny, calm, patient. She also has an amazing collection of toys! We tested our lung capacity as well as our oxygen usage/ heart rate during dry apnea. I couldn’t believe that in 1:40 minutes I’d only used 21% of my body’s O2 and that my heart rate could drop to 39BPM so easily. That’s the mammalian dive reflex for you! One of the guys in my group managed to get down to 50% O2 before he inhaled. Amazing- he counted around 20 contractions. I didn’t push myself as hard as I should have because I don’t enjoy dry contractions. Underwater they feel like hiccups to me but on land I still struggle with them. This will be a major focus to the next part of my training.
I had 3 other guys in my group and we had such a great dynamic- we really motivated each other and you could see that in our results. I also witnessed a couple of LMCs and BOs for the first time ever- a lot less dramatic than I imagined them to be but it’s still weird to see someone go blank. Especially before you have to do a PB attempt. It’s SO important to control your thoughts, emotions and reactions and stay on the positive side of things. I saw that Robin Williams had died, but refused to let the idea swirl inside my head. Nothing bad was allowed to stay in there. Only good memories, good vibes and good tunes. It’s also vital for you to take the right amount of time for your breathe-up and increase your performance slowly. If you do 3 30m+ dives in a session you’re probably pushing yourself a bit too much, although it’s all up to the individual. What you don’t want is to keep on getting LMC/ BO and your body to get used to that as an acceptable response to breath-hold.
I ended up diving to 33.3m and if I had more time I think I would have gone deeper.
Sadly, we all have to go up to the surface, dry off and go home at some point. I surpassed my goal depth of 30m, completed SSI Level 3 and am ready to go back next year for a month for the next step. Meanwhile, I have to find a training pool in Pohang that will let me do dynamic and static…
Freediving in Korea:
There are clubs scattered across Korea, with my nearest one being in Daegu. Busan Scuba is currently gearing up to launch AFIA training (AFIA= Korea’s freediving association). Kevin Mitchell is based in Seoul and runs 1upfreediving. Most Koreans spearfish and don’t just purely freedive. Also, sea restrictions are a bit OTT here so expect most of your freediving to be pool based (great for pre-trip training). At the moment freediving is not hugely accessible to foreigners here but let’s see if I can change that a little bit before I leave! The terminology has mostly been borrowed from English so once you get a foot in the door the rest should come easy.
The world is a random place and the internet often brings special people and experiences our way.
Were it not for Couchsurfing, I would never have met Kanghee and learnt about his company wa-ve.me. Kanghee is a crazy cool guy who used to live in Seoul and has a background in photography and media. He took his imagination to Cebu where he runs snorkeling trips with a twist.
Let’s face it, most girls have a mermaid fantasy. I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t get excited at the thought of getting their Ariel on. The trip is mostly aimed at Korean and Japanese tourists. Yes, mermen are also welcome to dress up for the photo op of a lifetime!
I had such a fun day with the Korean and Japanese guests on the boat. It was reassuring to see that despite all the WW2 issues still cropping up between these two great nations that their citizens really enjoy hanging out with each other. I also found it a great opportunity to practice my Korean listening and speaking skills as well perfecting my mermaid swim technique. And you know, when there are Koreans on the boat there will be free beer, snacks and a party atmosphere!
The day will run along these lines: pick up from your hotel, a bit of waiting around for the boat to arrive, boat briefing, snorkelling/ scuba diving at Nalusuan Island (I’d recommend scuba diving over snorkelling because the snorkel area is tiny and absolutely rammed with people). After the dive/ snorkelling you’ll go onto Nalusuan Island for lunch: tasty BBQ and fresh fruit. The photo session took place while we waited for lunch which is good! Empty stomach= photogenic stomach! You’ll do some more diving/ snorkelling/ jet skiing after you leave the island.
Kanghee will email you a bunch of photo and video footage after the experience for you to wow your family and friends with. I highly recommend this as a day trip the next time you visit Cebu.
Way back in July I met a South African chick who made it her summer mission to cycle all round Korea. I caught up with Thato Mokobane when she visited Pohang and again later at Korea Burn. Working in Seoul as a university lecturer, Thato also DJs on the side and we share 2 loves: scuba diving and cycling. I gave her a list of questions to answer at the end of her journey and I was very excited to get her replies last week.
1. How old are you? 29, guess I wanted to get this trip under my belt before my dreaded 30th.
2. Why are you doing this trip? I haven’t quite figured that out yet. All I know is that I love cycling, I love travel and I’ve been eager to explore Korea… Get to really know the country I live in.
3. What do your kids and school think about you doing it? I teach University students, so they think I’m pretty badass. My co-workers and superiors were a little concerned about the risks of doing a trip like this on my own, but for the most part they have been very supportive.
4. How many kms have you done so far? How many days have you been on the road? I’ve been on the road for just over 7 weeks. As for the km I’ve done, I’d have to guesstimate somewhere in the region of 7000km, but I can’t be completely sure.
5. How long do you expect the journey to take? Are you on schedule so far? I’ve been on schedule for the most part, sometimes a little ahead and other times a little behind, but so far so good. I had planned for a two month time frame and have managed to stick to it so far. I can’t believe I have just under a week left.
6. What’s been your longest day so far? My longest day was a few weeks ago, when I rode 150km from Seoul to Chungju Dam. That was definitely a personal record.
7. Have you had any dramas along the way? Small things mostly, running out of water, getting lost and having to ride in the rain. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have had guardian angels who have assisted me along the way whenever something went wrong, so it’s been quite a pleasant trip.
8. What’s been your favourite part so far? Without a doubt, Korea burn was my favorite festival to visit during this trip. I got to meet up and party with friends for a couple of days on the west coast. It gets pretty lonely on the road alone, so getting to spend a weekend with friend after a month of cycling alone in a country where few people speak English, was definitely a highlight. I also discovered a recently added bike path that goes from Chungju to Daecheon. For a biking enthusiast like myself, the discovery of a new long distance bike path is like Christmas, Easter and My birthday all rolled into one.
9. Give us an idea of your daily food intake. I wish I could say I mostly ate Korean food, but unfortunately that would be a lie. When you’re cycling close to 100km a day, time becomes a scarce commodity, and stopping to eat at a restaurant a luxury I could not always afford. So I mostly ate convenience store food while on the road. And then when I finally reached my destination, most of the time I was too tired to go looking for a good place to eat, so I most nights I dined on either McDonalds or Lotteria… Which is why I haven’t lost much weight during my trip.
10. Do you use music? What’s your perfect playlist? In Seoul, I fancy myself a bit of a DJ, so music is a big component of my daily ride. I have about 10 mixes that I put together myself, all house music. Deep house for the chilled out ride, hard house for when I need to light a fire under my ass, and electro for the long ride.
11. Are you going to keep cycling back home? I hope to keep cycling around the world, and I would love to do Africa at some point. However the landscape and infrastructure is completely different to Korea and a lot of research and planning would be needed for that type of ride.
12. Has the trip changed your view of Korea and Korean people? If anything, it’s cemented my love for Korea. As soon as you get out of the main cities, the Koreans you meet are the friendliest most helpful people you’ll ever meet. The love and pride they have for their country was the biggest thing I noticed on this trip. Everywhere I went, I was met with words of cheer and encouragement for what I was doing, and countless stories and suggestions of things I had to include and see along the way. Not to mention the discounts and freebies I collected from cycling enthusiasts.
thissokolife 